


Wishing Star

by Hop_A_Long



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: M/M, Multi, Pooka!Jack, Púca | Pooka
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-26
Updated: 2013-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-06 13:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/736107
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hop_A_Long/pseuds/Hop_A_Long
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack wants to disappear, Pitch wants Jack out of the way and Bunny...Well Bunny isn't sure what he wants. BunnymundxPooka!Jack, PitchxHumanform!jack</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I am going to be casually updating this whenever I can. This is going to be all about BunnymundxPooka!Jack with some definite PitchxHumanform!Jack , or so I hope at least.
> 
> I don't own Rise of the Guardians. If I did, Sandy would be bringing out the whips so much more :3

 

* * *

It hurt.

Oh MiM it hurt.

Why did he have to say those things? Those hurting, burning twisting words that tore at his very core with a vengeance that almost didn't seem natural.

He had gone to confess to Aster, to tell the Pooka how he truly felt, only to be rebuked in the worst possible way.  _"Yer nothing but an annoyance"_ Jack's already precarious flight patterns failed him completely,causing the pain filled boy to drop from the sky

_"I don't even know why Manny chose ya to be a guardian in the first place, the only thing ya can do right is mess things up"_  He begged silently for the voices to stop as he fell through the sky, the wind whipping past the distraught boy and only catching him in the very last moment.

_"Yer a lousy spirit and a lousier Guardian"_  Jack was begging under his breath for the words to stop, another round of fear and pain bubbling through him and making scream out for it to stop. He had smashed his knees on landing but he didn't seem to notice as he curled up upon the frigid rock in the middle of the lake, looking up at the sky through tears that he was desperately begging not to fall  _"All ya do is waste time and cause problems"_.

He tilted his head back so that the tears didn't fall; he was determined. He would not cry over E. Aster Bunnymund. Not now, not ever.

Laying on his side with a shaky sigh, Jack furiously scrubbed at his face in order to remove the tears from his eyes. He wasn't worth crying over but if that was the case then why did his refusal hurt so much?

Looking up at the sky, Jack was surprised to see a shooting star "Well...If I'm gonna start it's better late than never hmm?" He asked himself quietly "Though, I'm not even sure it's worth it..." With a sigh he curled up, wincing at the pain coming from his knees as he murmured "Sometimes I just wish I would disappear.."

 


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so since I'm all in the mood right now you have the second chapter up already. Yay.
> 
> And before you ask, yes the last part is supposed to be like that. It is in Jack's POV, but he is still all lost and not quite with it so it is a slightly abstract, more childish view than normal.
> 
> That all said, I don't own Rise of the Guardians. If I did, there would be more Jack Rabbit love in the story.

When Aster came up through the entrance of his tunnel, he flinched.

It was bitingly cold, more so than usual for this time of year, and large spikes of ice decorated the ground around the surface of a large lake. Even the lake surface itself was covered in fine spikes, all pointing away from the cliff face that stood sentinel at the opposite edge of the lake.

All the guardians had felt the blast of energy, it seemed. North was there, trying to get information from a quartet of Yeti that had stayed behind after the initial onslaught, with Sandy and Tooth close by and listening in. Walking towards the other Guardians, carefully avoiding the sharp icicles that threatened to cut at the pads of his feet, Aster joined the conversation just as all four yeti began gesturing wildly and pointing towards the face of the cliff "Whoa, whoa, whoa. 'Ang on a minute, what the bloody hell is going on?"

Everyone turned to see the shivering Pooka and everything paused for a moment before North spoke "ze Yetis found something on zee lake, but zey were blinded by ze snow and by ze time ze snow cleared it had disappeared into ze bushes at ze far end of ze lake. Zey cannot get near"

"Did they see what it looked like, before it ran off?" Tooths question was almost exactly what Aster was about to ask, and he looked out across the lake as North talked with the yeti for a moment more.

"Zey say it looked like...Little bunny"

The guardians turned to look at Aster, surprised to see him already half way across the lake and quickly making his way towards the sparse cover near the cliff. As Aster got closer to the bushes his ears began twitching, picking up the sounds of quick breathing and soft whimpers. pushing some branches out of the way, Aster let out a low gasp of surprise at what he saw.

A young rabbit lay on it's side against the trunk of the bush and it would be easy to mistake it for any other normal snow rabbit if it weren't for the snowy gusts that pressed against Asters chest, pushing weakly at the elder Pooka in an attempt at self preservation. Reaching into the bush, Aster pulled back a little as the younger pooka flinched away from the touch.

It dismayed the older Pooka, who let a coo rumble from his chest in an attempt to sooth the small rabbit, and he let out a soft huff as he felt how warm the younger was. Aster had met a few Snow Pooka before they were all wiped out and one thing that he noticed about them all was the cool air that surrounded their bodies.

Scooping up the younger Pooka, careful with the weakly squirming form that was letting out soft cries of pain whenever his legs were jostled, Aster sat back on his haunches and looked down at the snowy bundle. He softly pressed his nose against the young rabbits forehead and smiled slightly in relief as he felt a small nose pressing briefly against his jaw, meaning that while the young Pooka was sick, weak and in pain he was still conscious enough to recognize another Pooka. Walking to the soily edge of the lake, careful not to jostle his now fitfully sleeping bundle, Aster called out "I'll meet ya at the pole" before summoning a tunnel and disappearing down it.

* * *

Appearing within Santoff Clausen, Aster held the small bundle of fur close to his chest as he wove between yetis who were busy making toys for the elves to test. Making his way into the infirmary, a large room with equally large windows set in cream walls and scattered with large beds, Aster sat on one of the corner beds and looked at the armful of fur shivering against his chest.  
The young Pooka was worryingly warm and the distressed whines coming from his body made Asters ears twitch in nervousness, the larger Pooka willing North to travel faster. The time seemed to stretch on and on as Aster waited, nosing softly at the younger rabbit occasionally only to let out a soft whine when the young rabbit didn't press back against him. That wasn't good.

Hours seemed to fly by before the guardians entered the room, followed by a few yetis who knew something about medical procedure. The young rabbit had to be laid on the bed to be checked over, only Aster laying behind it kept the young Pooka from freaking out and releasing the frost that it had used on the yetis already once before. It was the first time any of the guardians had seen what had caused the mayhem at the lake and Aster's ears twitched at the sound of the collective gasp that echoed around the room "Friend...is zat..-?"

Aster nodded, cutting off the rest of North's question as he murmured "yeah, it's another Pooka..."

"Zis is wonderful, we must celebrate" The jolly mans exclamations made Aster smile slightly, softly stroking the fur on the belly of the younger Pooka. It was wonderful, a true miracle it seemed, but it was just slightly suspicious to Aster that the young Pooka showed up in a densely populated place as Pitch's power was growing larger again. Shaking those thoughts away, Aster watched the yetis check over the young Pooka, growling each time they caused a cry of pain form the small form on the bed. It hurt Aster to see the younger male in pain like that, it brought back memories of Pitch's attacks to wipe out their race, but he knew it was necessary. That's what he told himself at least.

It had been hours and, after growling at the Yetis at each whimper they elicited from the child Aster was told to either shut it and let the Yetis work or be thrown out until they were finished. Or so North told him at least; sometimes he was glad he couldn't understand the guttural language of the yetis if North's wincing was any indication of language.

Finally the Yetis were pleased that the child was stable and on the mend, both legs bound as they seemed sprained and ice packed around his body in order to keep him cool. The Pooka seemed calm now, though Aster did not stray far from his side until the young rabbit awoke.

When the young Pooka woke, the first thing that Aster saw was a pair of brilliant, teal eyes that reminded him of pure ice and deep water. They took his breath away, holding his eyes in a strong gaze that was only broken as the youngling looked away to curiously sniff at Asters fur, nosing into the elder Pooka's chin with a soft sound of content that made Aster happier than anything had in a long time. It brought back memories of his own family.

The bittersweetness of those memories caused Aster to wrap his arms gently but firmly around his younger counterpart and hold him close, smiling slightly as he felt the younger male sniffing and nosing at his body.

It was a wonderful feeling, being close to another Pooka after all these years, and Aster simply couldn't get enough of it.

* * *

It was so cold, and everything was so big. He was scared.

His heart was beating so fast it seemed to be trying to escape his chest.

He was breathing so fast it seemed as if a weight was settling on his chest.

He had been surrounded by huge, furry things that were growling at him, then surrounded by echoing voices of people that wanted to take him. It was all so scary. It was so hard to understand.

Then there had been that warmth. It was wonderful and soothing, warm and light with a scent of chocolate and earth and flowering plants. It bundled him up and carried him away from the fear and the pain, settling him in soothing coolness and tending to his wounds.

When he opened his eyes, he was entranced by the brilliant emerald eyes that met his. They were so deep, so full of life and hope. It made warmth bubble up inside him.

He pressed into the other, larger, warmer, comforting presence. Snuffling and rubbing against the body, clinging to the soft fur and taking in the wonderful smells that surrounded the larger form. It was so warm, he felt so safe. It was heaven, he was sure.

Then came the questions, probing and picking at his memories. It was distressing, only knowing a name, but the questions made it all the worse and it seemed the other knew that, growling and holding him close. Trying to soothe him.

He had grown. He was stronger now, feeling better with more energy.

He knew that the other was happy, he could see it in his body. In his eyes, in those brilliant, expressive eyes.

Then he had to go. he knew this wouldn't last forever but he didn't think that his heaven would leave so soon. He didn't think that he would be left behind. He had protested, but he was simply pulled close by the other and told that he would be back soon.

He had whined, he knew it was childish but it made the other smile and that was alright with him, and the other had pressed his nose into his neck, nuzzling at it softly for a moment. the touch was tender and affectionate. It was sweet. He wanted more but before he could say anything the other was gone through the tunnel and the tunnel had closed.

He whined again, this time pulled close by the jolly red man. It would be a long wait.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had people asking about Jacks memories, so I'll try and explain. Jack wished to disappear after being hurt by Bunny but, because he was a guardian, that couldn't happen. Instead, he was turned into a different species and had his memories wiped along with those of everyone else. This is where it might get a bit tricky to explain.
> 
> The others; others meaning basically anyone who has ever interacted with him, have only forgotten him in a sense. They still remember Jack Frost, he is kind of necessary as he is the spirit of winter, but they don't connect Jack with Jack Frost because according to their memories they haven't had any contact with him, meaning none of their interactions happened, the whole deal with Pitch never happened and Jack never became a guardian.
> 
> Essentially. They still know of Jack Frost, but only as an obscure seasonal spirit, and Jack's slate has been wiped completely clean.
> 
> I don't own Rise of the Guardians, I'm not quite that creative, unfortunately.

It had been a long week.

Easter was now only eight days away but Asters mind was elsewhere, namely on a certain Pooka who was recuperating at the pole under the care of North and his Yetis while Aster oversaw the creation and colouring of his precious googies.

The fact that the Pooka had only known his first name, which was Jack, was disconcerting for everyone and the way he reacted to others was even more so. It was reasonable that he would be nervous being around others, as they would have been rather large and loud when he first met them on the lake, but he seemed more nervous around them than even Aster expected. It wasn't that he was afraid of them personally, that only applied to the yetis, but of what they would do to him if he did something wrong. It made Aster wonder just what the kid had been through before he had lost his memories, if he was conditioned to fear doing the wrong thing.

As all Pooka did when the season they were affiliated with came around, Jack healed fast and by the time Aster had needed to leave for the Warren Jack was seen gingerly making his way through the workshop. Though that didn't seem to happen very often as the Yetis still scared him.

He had turned into a stunning young buck, barely in adulthood, with a kind disposition streaked through with a love of games and pranks that seemed almost out of place against the temperament of fearing doing wrong. It was a clash that both puzzled Aster and endeared him to Jack, who had made Aster the center of his mischief on more than a few occasions already.

It was worth it though, to see the once fear-filled eyes filled with happiness and to hear the ringing of Jacks laughter after a trick had turned out right.

The preparations for Easter were happening on time, maybe even a little ahead of schedule, and it allowed Aster some time to relax.

Making his way into his burrow, a light place that many said they found as comfortable, warm and welcoming as the Warren itself, Aster made a bee-line for his nest and quickly fell asleep, thinking of a pure white buck as he did.

Jack was just waking at the pole as Aster fell asleep. He had been given a bed, but he had found it rather uncomfortable to sleep on so, foregoing the wooden structure of the bed he had taken the mattresses and the blankets and had made himself a nest in the opposite corner of the room.

That had been days ago, and the only time he had slept better was when Aster was still at the pole. That knowledge drew a little sad whine from the young male, but he shook his head to clear the thoughts from it and made his way from his bedroom.

In Aster's absence, the elder Pooka had provided North with the information needed for Jack to begin training with his powers. Most of it seemed to be the need for mental control, to be able to visualize the movement or shape of an element to be able to properly influence it, but somehow he seemed to have little problem with that. Apparently it was due to an active imagination, or so North said.

Jack made his way through the workshop, avoiding the areas where he knew large amounts of Yetis would be working, and out of the main building onto a flat, snowy plane that was almost as large as Santoff Clausen was. It was used for training the yetis and as a practice area for North, apparently sometimes they even had large-scale battles with the other guardians just to keep all their their fighting skills up, but now it's main use was to train Jack to control his powers.

He had some semblance of control over wind, a slip on the first day somehow saw him floating upside down five meters in the air, and he was slowly getting better at controlling ice, snow and frost. It didn't feel right though.

His power was wild, he needed something to channel it through to truly control it. North had tried a few different things with him but so far nothing had properly worked, though hopefully that would change today.

North had said the night before that he had something he wanted to try, a carved staff that had been found on the lake when Jack had been found by the yetis. He had been testing the staff to see if it held any sort of powers but it seemed to be just another frozen piece of carved wood.

Bounding out on the field, he saw North and a small contingent of yeti that he usually trained against. Though he didn't like Yetis much, he did respect their fighting power and it had helped them all to train with someone new.

Coming to a stop in front of North, he was greeted with a smile and a hug "Good morning, Jacky. Did you sleep well?" Jack nodded, smiling slightly "Good. Today we try you out with ze staff" Jack was bouncing eagerly, making North chuckle slightly as he handed the young pooka the carved wooden staff.

Once Jack touched the staff, it felt right.

A small, arctic wind blew around the young male, kicking up snow that sped off in flurries in the wind. He touched the staff to the ground and watched the slight blueness of pure ice forming over the snow, creating intricate ferns of frost on the ground and holding the ice in place.

He grinned and the first of the yetis rushed at him with a grumbling war call. It was like magic flowing through him.

He and the staff were an extension of each other.

He flashed through the crowd of Yeti, knocking one large body out of the way with a sweeping motion from his staff and the leverage caused by his momentum while freezing two more shaggy bodies together with the other end of the carved piece of wood. He was dancing through and slipping past yetis as they reached for him, some even lunging at the slippery Pooka

in an attempt to catch him only to trip each other up as their momentum carried them forward. Jack used this in order to get away from the Yetis who were getting closer with the reaches.

Jack was using the staff as a battering ram, sweeping it from side to side in order to push the Yetis away, the staff acting as a lever in order to to force the Yetis to move just enough that he could slip past. Once he was away from the majority of the yetis he turned, letting out a surprised yell as a shot of ice appeared just in front of his staff and fired itself at the Yetis. This shot of ice created a large structure just in front of the yetis, which they crashed into due to the momentum they were getting as they ran at him.

Despite the sudden crash, the structure held. It was made of pure ice, concave and smooth so the heap of yetis simply slid down the side to come to a rest at the bottom, grumbling as they picked themselves up.

It seemed the staff knew what to do more than Jack did himself and that thought made the young Pooka nervous, looking at the staff in both awe and slight fear.

He stumbled forward, broken from his thoughts by North, who gave him a clap on the back "Well done, Jacky. Zat was amazing" He returned the smile somewhat hesitantly, spinning in surprise when he heard clapping from the entrance of Santoff Clausen. His eyes widened when he saw Aster in the entrance, racing over and throwing himself at the elder Pooka with enough momentum to make him stumble.

"Aster" He smiled, his ears twitching happily as he looked up at Aster "What are you doing here? I thought you were busy"

"Are ya complaining, Jacky boy?" Aster replied, smirking at Jacks pout and muttered

"of course not"

"the googies are maturing well and I was worried about ya frosty" Aster returned the smile with a smirk, releasing Jack and ruffling the fur on the top of his head "that was some impressive ice work, when did ya get that good?"

Shrugging, Jack looked at the staff in his hand and said "It wasn't me that did that, Bunny. I didn't even know I could shoot ice" he looked up when he felt Aster gripping his shoulders

"Mate, I don't think that is any old staff you've got there"


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another day, another chapter~.
> 
> Before you start reading I'd just like to say to everyone who commented, gave Kudos to, bookmarked or even just read, Wishing Star, it truly means so much to me.
> 
> Unfortunately I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

 

It was beautiful.

Aster had invited him to the warren, saying that he needed to get back to oversee Easter preparations but that unlike last time Jack wasn't busy recuperating and could come with him if he wanted. Though Jack liked Santoff Clausen and almost everything in it, he had jumped at the chance to go somewhere new.

The Warren was like spring incarnate and it made Jack simply want to play, even if it was a little warm for his liking.

Jack was soon wrapped up in the spirit of the Easter holiday. After a rather long tour, only made so long because Jack got actively involved in helping Aster corral as many unpainted googies as possible, Jack and Aster settled at the top of a grassy hill to paint the wriggly little eggs. Jack was adequate with a paintbrush, though he figured that Aster probably wouldn't use his eggs even though he said they were good for a first try, and the two Pooka spent the rest of the day in quiet conversation while painting eggs.

Aster was surprised with this, he had figured that Jack wouldn't want to do something so repetitive and quiet, due to the fact that Jack was as bouncy and inquisitive as any new kit and had already shown a love for trouble and activity. He had said as much, earning a cheeky reply from Jack that ended in the two trading banter that seemed rather harsh but was said with the highest amount of amusement.

By the end of the day Jack was worn out. After helping Aster with his googies the two trained for a while, something that gave mixed results.

He was fast, though that had been a fact before he knew how fast Pooka could run. He wasn't as fast as Aster but then again Aster had a lot more experience than Jack did so it wasn't exactly a surprise; Aster had said It would come in time and Jack didn't doubt that it would. After a mock race in which they both knew Aster let Jack win, the two had gone to the surface and Jack had practiced summoning a tunnel to the warren. It had been easy enough, though keeping the size the same all the way through had been a challenge and more than half the time Jack got himself stuck in a bottleneck much to his chagrin and Asters amusement.

His fur a dusky brown due to all the dirt in it from his tunnel practice, Aster had begun teaching Jack unarmed combat.

This was what Jack had excelled at; he was already lithe and he was a slippery little bugger when he wanted to be. This would allow him to wear his opponent out, hopefully making up for his slowly budding skills if he was ever without his staff.

Topping it off with a quick dip in one of the non-coloured pools to clean the majority of the dirt from his fur, which was still slightly brown even after that, Jack was just ready to sleep. He followed Aster as he made his way to a entranceway made by two boulders, surprised when the small area behind the boulders turned into a direct right turn and opened into a large, domed room which was Asters bedroom if the large nest was anything to go by.

He was guided to the nest, looking up at Aster with his head tilted to the side a little and only climbing into the nest when the elder male gave a small nod. The nest was soft and warm and he was immediately enveloped by the earthy, natural scent of the other Pooka, who curled behind Jack and began idly grooming the younger Pooka. Jack let out a low, almost inaudible sound of content and dozed off quickly, curled into Aster in a way that caused a nostalgic smile for Aster before he nuzzled into Jack and followed him into the land of sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

When Jack woke it was a slow thing.

He was warm, comfortable and he could feel Aster's fingers moving through the fur of his belly as the elder male nuzzled against the back of his neck. It was an odd feeling, making Jack shiver a little and stretch, but it wasn't too unpleasant and jack even managed a sleepy laugh when he felt Aster snuffling at the base of his ear, causing the snowy appendage to twitch.

He was pressed against Aster comfortably, enjoying the warmth that the older male radiated. It was a comforting warmth, not a cloying warmth, and it made the frosty Pooka feel too comfortable to want to get up so instead of waking up more, Jack turned around and buried his face into the wonderfully soft fur of Asters chest.

His ears twitched as he heard Aster chuckling softly at his antics, one hand carding through the fur at the back of his head while the other hand stayed in place, though this time it was on his back rather than his belly "It's time to get up, Jacky" Jack's ear twitched again as Aster whispered into them, his breath tickling the sensitive skin inside them, and Jack let out a low whine at the words. he didn't want to get up yet and clung to the older male, flexing and clenching his fingers in the older males fur in a kneading manner as he nuzzled and snuffled at Aster's chest and neck.

He felt the rumbling of Asters chest as the male chuckled at his antics, letting Jack snuffle at him for a while before both heard a low growl coming from Jack. Or, rather, from Jacks stomach. Jack looked up at Aster, his expression somewhat sheepish, and he huffed at Aster as the male said "Told 'ya it was time to get up mate" in a tone that clearly said 'told you so'.

Jack watched Aster through sleepy, hooded eyes as the elder male maneuvered through the kitchenette. He was surprisingly graceful for, what Jack figured to be at least, an ungodly time of morning. When Aster set a bowl down in front of the young Pooka, filled with crispy lettuce and little pieces of sweet apple, Jack seemed completely out of it and he knew at a glance that the younger male was dozing once more.

Putting a hand on Jack's shoulder, Aster gave it a light shake and smirked when Jack sat up in surprise "mornin' sunshine"

The two made small-talk as they ate, though it was mainly Aster telling Jack stories that made him either laugh or blush as not all of them were even close to being PG.

Once they had finished breakfast and the dishes had been washed and put away they got back to work. Spending the morning painting and talking, Aster being called a pervert more times in one morning than he had in a long time, they had some lunch before beginning another session of Jack being taught the ways and abilities of the Pooka. Aster was pleased with how fast Jack was learning, he had a fast learning streak and got the basics of things rather quickly even if they only worked around half the time. It was at least something.

After another long day the two curled up together in Asters nest, Jack nuzzled into Aster's chest and gripping his fur loosely while Aster's arms wrapped around Jack's waist protectively and somewhat possessively.

 

* * *

 

 

Ever since his appearance there had been something off about the Pooka and he was determined to find out what. He knew he wasn't the only one who was suspicious, North and Tooth were as well and for good reason. If there was a race that you knew there was only one of and then suddenly another arrived right in the middle of a war, it was enough to make anyone suspicious.

Anyone except Aster, it seemed, as he had been so enamoured with the new Pooka from the moment it had showed up. It was to be expected, he had thought that he was the last one alive afterall, but Sandy had always known Aster as a level-headed and rather suspicious being. Why couldn't he be that now.

Sandy had tried to break the barriers around the young Pooka's memories, with varying degrees of success on various nights, and had finally had enough time to chip enough away to begin scratching at the surface of the boys hidden memories when Aster showed up and took him away to the warren with him.

Sandy's sand could get anywhere. There was very little that could stop the golden grains from reaching out to touch someone's mind and affect their sleeping conscious. There was also very little that could stop Sandy from getting into the sleeping conscious of someone, using their memories to influence their dreams like any good dreamweaver was supposed to.

The only thing that he had encountered so far that could slow his sand was the influence of another weaver like Pitch Black or Wishing Star while MiM was the only one who could create barriers strong enough to completely hold back the sand of any , Weaver. He was the only one with enough power.

He knew Aster woke up a number of times during the night and if he was to see the images in the sand, then it would not end well. Aster was fiercely protective of the people he deemed important enough and there was no doubt in the golden dream weavers mind that Jack was very, very high up the list of people Aster found important.

He was patient, Jack would come back to Santoff Clausen while Bunny was delivering easter eggs and he would have time then to get a closer look at the boys memories, but he knew there was little time to wait. He had sensed nightmares around the outer tunnels of the Warren and they were appearing with increasing frequency, something that was more worrying than anything the new Pooka was subconsciously repressing. Especially since it wasn't only the Warren that the nightmares were frequenting.

Whenever he had arrived at the place where the nightmares were sensed, they were usually gone or in the middle of fleeing but he had managed to absorb a few of them. From what small snippets of information he gathered from the nightmares before they were completely absorbed they were gathering for something, something rather big and very important. He had told the other Guardians and had, thankfully, seen a rise in the already significant protections around each of the Guardians' homes.

It was good, even if the news was not. Everything pointed to one thing.

Pitch was beginning to make a move.


	5. Chapter 4

A week had passed since Jacks visit to the Warren, just when he was getting settled with Aster he was brought back to Santoff Clausen. Something about the seasons. It was frustrating, being bounced from person to person and place to place when it suited everyone else; no one had asked him where he wanted to be or who he wanted to be with and that irked the young Pooka.

Jack had tried tapping his foot to summon the tunnel to the Warren, that was one of the first things Aster had taught him during his stay with the elder Pooka, but it didn’t work; not that he was deterred though. Sneaking to the armoire-like vault used to store North’s snow globes was harder than Jack had initially thought, the task that had seemed simple enough taking at least a day and a half longer than the young Pooka had expected, but eventually Jack had one snow globe in each hand as he stood in his room. He had planned ahead, one globe for the trip there and one for the way back since it was likely that if he couldn’t get in then he couldn’t get back out.

Taking a deep breath, Jack whispered the words “to the Warren” and grinned to himself as an image of the mossy, weathered guard eggs appeared in the globe. The image turned into a scene of frolicking eggs and lush grass as Jack threw it at his feet, the young Pooka instantly sucked into the swirling vortex.

 

Jack had a rough landing, thrown from the portal and tumbling head over heels into the soft grass. Picking himself up from the fall, his ears twitching as he took in the sounds of the Warren, Jack crouched where he had landed.  
Haering a large body padding towards him, Jack looked around and grinned when he saw Aster stalking towards him. He saw the look on the elder Pooka’s face and shifted slightly, now regretting sneaking into the Warren if Aster’s expression was any indication of how annoyed the other guardian was “What’re ya doin’ here ya dill? I told North and the others to keep ya away from here” By the time that Aster had finished speaking he was right in front of Jack, a strange expression in his eyes as he looked at the younger Pooka “Were you just being stubborn or was there..something you wanted? Because I’m not lettin’ ya leave now mate, not till I’ve gotten my fill of ya”

The older Pooka’s words sent a rush of fear through the younger male and there was one tense moment of silence before Jack took a step back and the spell was broken. Aster’s muscles bunched as Jack turned to flee down the tunnel, Aster being that little bit faster giving him the opportunity to lunge at Jack before the young male could get away, sending Jack sprawling again with Aster’s weight pinning him down “Where do ya think ya goin’ mate?”

“Away, I’m sorry I bothered you bunny” Jack said, ears flattening against his forehead as he felt Aster’s large hands gripping his hips and the elder Pooka’s muzzle pressing against the back of his neck

“Leaving so soon, Jackie? ya wound me mate” Jack squirmed under Aster, stilling when he heard the elder male growl at him and whisper into his ear “You say you’re sorry mate, but ya aren’t. Ya will be though, once I’m through with ya”

Jack whimpered at the promise, feeling Aster shifting behind him and the elder males weight removing itself from his body; Aster’s grip didn’t loosen though, and he was held firmly in place by the elder males tight grip. Jack’s fingers dug into the lush ground, trying to pull himself out of the elders grip; Jack’s futile attempts at freeing himself only making the elder Pooka growl and bring a hand down hard on Jack’s rear. Jack yelpd, tensing under the spank to his rear, and looked at Aster over his shoulder when he heard the other male chuckle “Ya shouldn’t have come here Jackie”

“Then let me go and I’ll leave” His eyes were big and filled with fear as he looked at Aster, any good feelings for the elder Pooka gone in that moment, and a whimper slipped from his lips as he saw the grin that Aster was wearing as he looked down at him. It was perfectly predatory.

 

Aster leaned in to whisper something to Jack, the look on his face was both absolutely delicious and rather disconcerting to the Pooka, but he found himself cut off before he even began. Another portal had opened up nearby, North and an army of Yeti appearing from within, and the sight had Aster curling over Jack; even though he was in the middle of his heat, Aster’s instincts demanded that he protect his mate from the danger that he perceived with North’s arrival. North and the Yeti stilled when they saw Bunny curled over Jack as he was. They would not be able to separate the two easily, especially with Aster being as defensive of the younger male as he currently was.

North had gathered his Yetis once he had realized that Jack was gone, along with one of the globes, and he was likely to have headed to only one conceivable place. They had tried to be fast about it, but none of the Yetis or North himself were certain of whether they had been fast enough for Jack to be spared from that particular act.

North watched Jack squirm uncomfortably under Aster, the younger male releasing a series of whines that had Aster pressing his muzzle against one of Jack’s ears with a quiet growl of reply. Asters eyes never left North and the Yeti’s.  The Pooka watched as Yeti’s surrounded himself and his mate, who was beginning to squirm under him again. He knew they wanted Jack, it was the only reason they would be here, but any buck worth his boomerangs would defend his mate; especially during mating season, that time was the most tense time of the year for any buck or doe. Fighting off the Yeti’s, a grin of grim satisfaction on his lips when he managed to keep them away, Aster’s hold on Jack changed enough for the younger buck to streak out from under Aster and between the surprised Yeti before they could get a grip on him again.   
Aster, once again becoming overcome by instinct, became filled with fury at the Yeti and North, believing that they had scared off a potential mate with their arrival and attacks, began a second volley of attacks on the Yeti and this time he wasn’t held back by his instinctual need to stay on top of Jack.

 

Jack had come prepared, a second globe hidden away in the pocket of the jacket North had given him. Once he had made his escape from Aster’s grip and fled the area, hiding deep within the maze of tunnels that existed in the Warren, Jack drew out the second globe with shaking paws and whispered “Just get me away from here”. He didn’t even look at the picture that formed inside the globe before he threw it, gratefully sucked into the swirling vortex that drew him away from the Warren faster than otherwise possible. Being spat out of the portal on the other end, landing none too gently, Jack simply lay there and shook with the now released force of his fears as snow slowly piled up around his sprawled, prone form.

Jack didn’t even notice when the wind picked up, or when the snow fell harder and faster than before. He was safe in the cocoon of snow that had built up around him since he had first arrived, and apart from occasionally breaking a hole in the snow cover to let fresh air in Jack hadn’t moved at all since his arrival. He didn’t even know how long he had been there, laying like that and simply drifting in and out of his fear-filled conscious.  
With his drifting Jack hadn’t noticed the black sand that had begun falling through the opening of his little cocoon, the dark spots of sand beginning to work away at the thick layer of snow that had covered the bereft Pooka.  
blinking awake when he felt snow landing on him once again, Jack whined softly when he saw Pitch standing over him with an increasingly victorious expression.

 


End file.
